@Ewap a dit :
whu606, can I place a step by step info on what I am doing ? Then can you help from there?

Here's what the docs are saying:

Vanilla Porter is the export tool for converting your legacy forum to Vanilla. The process is four steps:

Export your old forum data to a special “Porter file”.

Create a new Vanilla forum.

Import the Porter file in Vanilla’s Dashboard.

Verify & finalize your new forum.

But important things are pointed after, and details on how to migrate are provided too, explaining that 4 steps.
I think one of the most important things to do is the 3.

Do one or more test runs to work out any issues and familiarize yourself with the process.

First, you have to know that you need a installed Vanilla to import the data. You can't import data during Vanilla installatiion, only after.
So first, try to install Vanilla in another folder, just to test it.
When you think that you're good with forum managment & content moderation on Vanilla, download the Vanilla Porter.
For Simple machines (smf), it works with all 2.* versions.
Put the vanilla2export.php file next to the SMF's index.php file, and browse to it.
Follow the instructions and export the database. Warning: in the current porter Version, it can export all SMF 2 data, except: Avatars, Signatures, Permissions, User notes and tags. So all users will have default avatar, no/empty signatures, and default roles (All as members except the first admin) but it can be changed later of course.

still testing this...
i was on mobile the whole time, on pc now, but still some issues with the porter template. I click on the begin export it does nothing, while the 'download exported file' it redirects to file:///%22$path/%22...will share screenshots

also, in the form, do i replace all the default text or just the sets. like prefix?@K17